1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a remote controller, and more particularly, to a remote controller with dual power supply units.
2. Description of the Related Art
A main purpose of designing a remote controller is to control an electronic apparatus at a distance. Taking a television as the electronic apparatus as an example, in the early days, a remote controller for controlling the television is rather simple since a television is intended for displaying television signals only. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional television remote controller. A remote controller 100 comprises an infrared transmitter 110, a button unit 120 and a power supply unit 160.
The button unit 120 comprises a plurality of operating buttons. A corresponding button signal Sb is generated as a user presses one of the operating buttons. The button signal Sb is transmitted to the television via the infrared transmitter 110, so as to switch between channels, adjust the volume of the television, or to power on or power off the television.
The power supply unit 160 of the television remote controller 100 generally comprises a battery for powering the entire remote controller 100. In the remote controller 100 in FIG. 1, the power supply unit 160 provides power to the button unit 120 and the infrared transmitter 160 only when a user presses an operating button. When no operating button is pressed, the power supply unit 160 does not provide any power to the button unit 120 or the infrared transmitter 110. Therefore, the remote controller 100 in FIG. 1 is extremely power-saving. Assuming the power supply unit 160 comprises two AAA batteries, the remote controller 100 is able to function for at least two years.
Accompanied with technology advancement, a current electronic apparatus, e.g., a television or a video playback device, offers diversified functions. Taking a smart television as an example, the smart television at the same time offers functions of audio input control, cursor control and video games. To fulfill requirements of such electronic apparatus, a remote controller for the electronic apparatus is also necessarily equipped with corresponding control circuits to support the various functions above.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of another convention remote controller. Taking a smart television as an example, in response to functions of the smart television, a remote controller 200 comprises a button unit 220, an audio control unit 230, a touch control unit 240, a sensor unit 250, a signal transmitting module 210 and a power supply unit 260. The button unit 220 comprises a plurality of operating buttons. As a user presses an operating button of the button unit 220, a corresponding button signal Sb is generated. The button signal Sb is transmitted via the signal transmitting module 210 to the smart television to accordingly control the smart television.
The audio control unit 230 comprises a microphone for converting a user voice to an audio signal Sa, which is transmitted via the signal transmitting module 210 to the smart television to accordingly control the smart television.
The touch control unit 240 comprises a touch panel. Through the touch control function provided by the touch panel, a user is allowed to control the smart television. That is, a touch control signal St is generated as a user touches the touch control unit 240. The touch control signal St is transmitted via the signal transmitting module 210 to the smart television to accordingly control the smart television.
The sensor unit 250 comprises a sensor, e.g., a G-sensor. As a user plays video games, the sensor unit 250 generates a sensing signal Ss. The sensing signal Ss is transmitted via the signal transmitting module 210 to the smart television to accordingly control the smart television to display corresponding images.
In the remote controller 200 in FIG. 2, four control units are taken as an example for explaining diversified functions of a current remote controller. The number of modules in the remote controller may vary according to functions offered by the smart television.
It is apparent from the descriptions above that, all of the control units and the signal transmitting module 210 of the remote controller 200 are powered by the power supply unit 260. However, since certain control units need to be continuously powered or have higher power consumption, power in a battery of the power supply unit 260 can be depleted in a rather short period of time such that the remote controller 200 becomes frequently inoperable.
More specifically, when the power supply unit 260 fails to supply power, the remote controller 200 becomes incapable of controlling the smart television. As a result, the battery in the power supply unit 260 may have to be frequently replaced. The battery of such remote controller generally runs out about every month, and yet the frequent replacement of the battery set brings user inconveniences.